Lock for socket wrenches, etc.



June 13, 1939. H. A. RHINEVAULT 2,162,359

LOCK FOR SOCKET WRENCI 'IES, ETC

Filed Aug. 22, 1936 HAJB/zzhevaali BY Patented June 13, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Harry A. Rhinevault, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Armstrong Bros. Tool Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application August 22, 1936, Serial No. 97,352

11 Claims.

In Patent No. 2,008,367, granted July 16, 1935, to my assignee, Armstrong Bros. Tool 00., there is shown a socket wrench having a spring-actuated detent for holding the handle and the socket head in engagement with each other and having means for locking the detent after the handle and the work head have been engaged with each other so as to prevent them from becoming unintentionally separated. The detent locking means shown in said patent required the use of a screw driver for locking and releasing the detent.

The object of the present invention is to provide a more convenient means of locking and releasing the detent. In carrying out this object 15 I have provided a construction wherein the looking and unlocking is effected by merely turning a knurled ring mounted upon the handle.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a socket 2O wrench embodying the features of my invention,

the handle being shown as broken away to shorten the View.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view showing the socket head as looked upon the handle.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing the socket head as having been unlocked and in the process of being drawn off the handle.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a section on line 6--E of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a section through the knurled ring in the plane of dotted line I of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a section through the knurled ring in the plane of dotted line 8 of Fig. 5.

In the drawing, there is shown at A a socket head, commonly termed a socket. B is a handle for use in turning the socket A. The handle B has a shank I of square cross-section adapted to enter a correspondingly shaped axial opening 40, in the socket A.

The means for detachably locking the socket A to the handle B comprises a ball 2 mounted in a transverse cylindrical opening 3 in the shank I of the handle. Any desired means may be 45 employed to prevent the ball 2 from escaping from the opening 3, as, for example, by peening the metal of the shank, as indicated at 4 (Fig. 3)

so as to allowthe ball to project partially out of the opening 3. Each wall of the axial opening in the socket A has a recess adapted to receive the ball 2 for the purpose of locking the socket to the handle.

The transverse opening 3 extends to or intersects an' axial cylindrical bore or opening 6 in a the shank of the handle. In the present instance,

the bore 6 is of slightly smaller diameter than the opening 3. The opening 6 extends to a transverse cylindrical opening I in the handle, these two openings forming, in effect, a deviating passage to the transverse opening 3. A knurled ring 5 8 is rotatably mounted upon the handle in the plane of the axis of the opening I. Said opening extends to the surface of the handle upon which the ring 8 is mounted. Upon the inner periphery of the ring 8 is formed an eccentric 10 groove 9. At the middle or deepest portion of the groove 9 is formed a recess ID.

A series of balls II of any desired number extends between the ball 2 and the ring 8. Herein four balls II are shown, two lying more or less within the bore 6 and the other two lying within the outer end of the opening I. An expansive spring I2 in the inner end of the opening 3 normally presses the ball 2 outwardly as far as the peened-over metal 4 will permit, said spring yielding to allow the ball 2 to move inwardly when the socket is being withdrawn, as indicated in Fig. 3. An expansive spring I3 in the opening 'I presses two of the balls II outwardly against the ring 8.

In the manufacture of the device, the bore 6 is formed from the outer end of the shank I, and after the parts have been assembled, the outer end of the here is closed by means of a plug I4.

When the ring 8 is turned into such position that the outermost ball II is forced out of the recess I0, said ball I I and the adjacent ball force the two balls in the bore 5 toward the ball 2 so as to hold the ball 2 unyieldingly in whichever recess 5 it may occupy, thereby preventing the socket A from being pulled off the shank I of the handle. The series of balls I I constitutes flexible means for transmitting pressure from the eccentric portion of the ring 8 to the detent ball 2.

In practice, when looking the socket on the handle, the ring 8 is turned as far as the eccentric groove 9 will permit, the friction between the outermost ball II and the ring serving to hold the ring imposition to lock the socket on the handle.

When the ring 8 is turned so as to place the recess Ill in register with the outermost ball II, the spring I3 moves the two outermost balls II outwardly in the opening 1, thereby leaving the two balls II in the bore 6 free to yield as the ball 2 is forced inwardly in the operation of pulling the socket A ofi the shank I or in the operation of forcing the socket onto the shank I.

It will be seen that I have provided very convenient means for locking the socket to the handle and for releasing the socket, said means being operated to lock the socket by merely turning the knurled ring 8 in one direction or the other as far as it will go, and the socket being released by turning the ring 8 until the outermost ball H snaps into the recess In. It is not necessary to pick up a screw-driver, insert it in the socket and manipulate a detent with the screw-driver, as in the case of my Patent No. 2,008,367. The ring 8 being mounted on the handle, is always at hand and is operable by a simple turning movement.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tool handle having a detent, a locking ring rotatably mounted on the handle and having an eccentric portion, and a series of balls interposed between the detent and said eccentric portion for transmitting pressure from said portionto said detent.

2. A tool handle having a detent, a locking ring rotatably encircling the handle and having an internal eccentric portion, and a series of balls within the handle between the detent and said eccentric portion for transmitting pressure from said portion to said detent.

3. A tool handle having a detent, a locking ring rotatably encircling the handle and having an internal eccentric groove and a recess in the deepest portion of the groove, and a series of balls in the handle between the detent and said groove for transmitting pressure from said ring to said detent when a certain portion of the groove is in engagement with one end of the series of balls.

4. A tool handle having a detent, a locking ring rotatably mounted on the handle and having a locking portion and an unlocking portion, and a series of balls housed in the handle between the detent and said portions for transmitting pressure from said locking portion to said detent.

5. A tool handle having a shank, a detent mounted in the shank for yielding movement and normally projecting from the surface of the shank, and means to prevent the detent from yielding, said means including pressure transmitting elements connecting said detent and a looking ring located on the periphery of the handle remote from the shank.

6. The combination of two parts to be locked together, one of said parts having a shank to enter an opening in the other part, said shank.

having an axial opening and a transverse opening communicating therewith, a detent ball located in the transverse opening, the part having the shank also having a transverse opening communicating with the axial opening, a series of balls occupying the axial opening and the second mentioned transverse opening, a spring in the first-mentioned transverse opening tending to force the detent ball outwardly in said opening, a spring in the second-mentioned transverse opening tending to move a portion of the series of balls away from the detent ball, and a locking ring rotatably mounted upon the part having the shank in the plane of the axis of the secondmentioned transverse opening, said ring having an internal eccentric groove into which one of the series of balls is forced by the spring in the second-mentioned transverse opening, said ring also having an internal socket into which the last-mentioned ball is adapted to enter to leave the detent ball free to yield inwardly.

7. The combination of two parts to be locked together, one of said parts having a shank to enter an opening in the other part, said shank having an axial opening and a transverse opening communicating therewith, a detent ball located in the transverse opening, the part having the shank also having a transverse opening communicating with the axial opening, a series of balls occupying the axial opening and the secondmentioned transverse opening, a spring tending to force the detent ball outwardly in its opening,

a spring tending to move a portion of the series of balls away from the detent ball, and a locking member rotatably mounted upon the part having the shank, said member in one position holding the series of balls against the detent ball, and in another position leaving the detent ball free to yield inwardly.

8. A tool handle having a shank, said shank having an axial opening and a transverse opening communicating therewith, a detent member located in the transverse opening, said handle also having a transverse opening communicating with the axial opening, a series of balls occupying the axial opening and the second-mentioned transverse opening, one end of the series of balls being adjacent said detent member, and a looking ring rotatably mounted upon the handle in the plane of the axis of the second-mentioned transverse opening, said ring having an internal eccentric groove into which the other end of the series of balls may extend, said ring also having an internal socket into which the last mentioned end of the series of balls is adapted to enter to leave the detent member free to yield inwardly.

9. The combination of two parts to be locked together, one of said parts having a shank to enter an opening in the other part, a detent mounted in the shank for yielding movement and normally projecting therefrom to engage the other of said parts, means available at will to prevent said detent from yielding, and spring means associated with the last mentioned means independently of said detent and normally tending to urge said last mentioned means from said detent to release the latter for yieldable movement.

10. The combination of two parts to be locked together in telescopic relation, a detent mounted in one of said parts and movable for interlocking engagement with the other of said parts, means manipulable for moving the detent to locking position, connecting means for transmitting motion from the manipulable means to said detent, and spring means for yieldably urging said con necting means out of engagement with the detent whereby said detent will be conditioned to permit 7 separation of said parts.

11. A tool handle having a detent, a locking ring rotatably encircling the handle at a position relatively remote from said detent and having an eccentric portion, a deviating passage within the handle between said detent and said eccentric portion, and flexible means housed in the passage and interposed between the detent and said eccentric portion for transmitting pressure from said portion to said detent.

HARRY A. RHINEVAULT. 

